PPH reported in October that CTS had documented only 160 complaints for August when the company’s complaint line actually received 3,662 calls. Not only has CTS failed to meet the current terms of its contract, but they have requested additional funds, with no specifics as to how the money would be used.

In addition to being a senator I am also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. In my work for the past 2 decades, I’ve had an up close and personal view of how transportation to medical appointments is provided to MaineCare members. I’ve sat with children and families as they’ve waited for their ride to pick them up. I’ve helped clients arrange transportation for themselves or family members. In a rural state such as ours, this isn’t always an easy task- for the client, transportation provider or the medical provider. When I looked into the changes in how we provide transportation for MaineCare members, I became concerned. So many people in our communities worked hard every day to make this system work. What would happen when it changed?

In August of last year when the new system for MaineCare transportation first went live, we all began to hear the stories of the missed rides, unanswered calls for rides and more. Like many of you, I received numerous calls from constituents about the problem. To be honest, I couldn’t keep up with it. Many patients reported having missed appointments because rides were delayed, or failed to show up completely.

The bottom line is we have given the new system a chance to work and it is not working. Taxpayers of Maine are paying $28M for services that are not being delivered. At a time of scarce resources, we cannot afford to be paying for something we’re not getting. This problem needs to be addressed immediately.

By talking with legislators and administrators in Vermont, I discovered that they had considered making the same change we had when faced with the same dilemma. I asked questions. I discovered that Vermont is similar in many ways- rural, spread out, older population, but certainly not as big as Maine. But that state has decided that the brokerage system would not work as well in their state, so they crafted something different that met their needs and met federal guidelines.

LD 1636 will create a more reliable and efficient system based on the Vermont model. Vermont satisfied federal requirements but maintained a system that relies on local nonprofits arranging and delivering rides, similar to our system before the Aug. 1 change.

Then it was Senate Majority Leader Troy Jackson (D-Allagash)’s turn:

The purpose of this bill is to cancel the current MaineCare rides contract with Coordinated Transportation Solutions (CTS) that began in August of last year. The MaineCare rides system services about 45,000 people a month and since the change to a new ride system, there has been mounting frustration with ongoing customer service problems. These problems have left our most vulnerable friends and neighbors without access to the critical care that they need. Of the three brokers, CTS has been the most aggregious in the mishandling of their services.

Since the change, countless clients have had difficulty booking rides. According to Stefanie Nadeau, the director of MaineCare services of DHHS, 58 percent of callers hung up in frustration before reaching a live caller. In one notable case, a caller was put on hold for 21 hours waiting for help. Even in cases where their calls got through, the rides have often been seriously delayed or have failed to show up completely. In rural districts like mine in Aroostook County, there is often no other option for public transportation for those who need it.

December 1 was the deadline for CTS to either meet their objectives or show progress toward meeting goals. There has been no evidence that this has happened, and the taxpayers of Maine have been left on the hook for $28 million dollars in exchange for services that aren’t being delivered.

We’ve given the new system a chance to work and it hasn’t. Our friends and neighbors can’t wait for dialysis while the brokers get their act together, not to mention those who depend on these rides to get to their jobs. This is why my colleague Senator Lachowicz has introduced a measure to replace this system with a program based on the Vermont model which is much more similar to the system Maine has used effectively for years. This plan has been tested to be more efficient and effective, and is a system that has met the requirements of the federal government.

In the case that the contract with CTS is cancelled, but the new system has not been implemented, two brokers have said they are willing to step in. American Medical Response and MTM are two well-funded, national non-emergency transportation providers that are willing to take up the task of providing services. In other states, these providers have stepped in for CTS where they have fallen short.

We should be moving forward with this proposal, and cancel the existing contract with CTS to avoid further hardship for our citizens and further costs to the taxpayers.